This weekend will mark the 17th day of the Premier League. As an opening, the clash between Aston Villa and Manchester City is sure to delight fans of English football and opens the door to all bets.
“I'm not good enough. I have to find solutions, and so far I haven't. This is reality“. Pep Guardiola did not hesitate to take responsibility after the umpteenth setback suffered by Manchester City This year. In great difficulty for two months, the Citizens are struggling to get their heads above water and could still lose points against Aston Villa this Saturday.
pull yourself together
Nothing is going well with the reigning Champions. While the season had started well, the Skyblues began to follow a fall which today appears difficult to stop. It must be said that in the space of 11 matches, the east Manchester team was defeated 8 times. An impressive figure but a reflection of the difficulties encountered in the Championship, as in the Champions League.
“I'm here to try and I'll keep trying again and again“, insisted the Spaniard at a press conference after the defeat in the Manchester derby (2-1). “At a big club, when you lose 8 games out of 11, something is wrong. I can say that the schedule is busy, there are injuries to the players, but 3-0 against Feyenoord (after 74 minutes) and we draw. Is it because of the injuries or the schedule? No“.
As rightly mentioned, City has lost intensity, and has become more predictable lately. This allowed opponents to rush into the breach, and continue to exploit it when doubt began to creep into the minds of the players. In free fall, the club could even, in the event of defeat this weekend, find itself in 9th place, under Brighton.
So it's time to pull ourselves together. Especially since if all the other Championships take a break, Boxing Day arrives in England. “We must continue to work. I have to find a way to talk to them and a way to play and build“, thus summarized Guardiolahoping a renewed success among his troops.
Moving forward
Manuel Akanji and John Stones should be back to face Villa. It remains to be seen whether they will be in good shape to participate in the defensive boost that the team of Skyblues needs to restart.
Guardiola and the rest of the team also has no choice but to move forward and still believe in a turnaround. The 3-0 victory over Nottingham Forrest early November is an example to build on. And the team ofUnai Emery is yet another challenge to take on in the quest for recovery.
Apart from the confrontation of this 17th day, the calendar of City is lenient. On paper, it is therefore time to move forward again. Especially since defeated last week by Nottingham (2-1), Aston Villa was weakened. The game is therefore likely to be intense and the competition severe between the two teams in search of victory.
